The UK Clinical Cohorts (UK CliC) Trusted Research Environment (TRE) is a secure platform that enables consented clinical cohort data to be stored, linked with routinely collected NHS data, analysed, and shared safely for public benefit health research. This allows researchers to uncover new insights into the causes of diseases, better understand how diseases progress and develop better treatments for patients.
Who can use UK CliC?
- Cohort Studies – apply to link your cohort data with routinely collected health records through the UK CliC TRE and allow sharing of this linked data in an anonymised way for other approved researchers
- Researchers – apply to use Cohort Datasets to help answer research questions for public benefit.
For cohort studies
For researchers
For cohort participants and members of the public
How can we help you?
Data discovery and project feasibility
Our team build tools to help researchers understand what data are available and if they are suitable to answer your research question – valuable when planning your research.
Visit our data hub to see what data is available.
Data linkage
We coordinate and manage the data linkage application process for clinical cohort studies, making it easier and faster to link to NHS data from across the UK using UK CliC.
Data curation and engineering
We provide services that generate analysis-ready datasets – visit our data engineering section for details.
Reuse of linked data
UK CliC makes linked, anonymised datasets available to researchers with approved research projects via the SAIL Databank, so data is collected once and used many times to answer important research questions.
UK CliC is hosted within the secure UK Secure eResearch Platform (UKSeRP) at Swansea University. Cohort studies can collect and store their research data in their own secure and private space within SeRP.
Key benefits of UK CliC
For patients and the public
- Data used responsibly to advance understanding of what causes disease, and improve treatments and health outcomes
- Researchers must demonstrate that their project has a clear benefit to health and social care and undergo independent review before access is granted.
- Anonymised data shared with researchers for approved projects
For cohort studies
- Streamlined linkage to UK-wide NHS data and information governance support – reduce burden on cohort study teams
- Development of reusable tools and resources to enable faster, high-quality research
- Curation and analysis support
- Dedicated facilities for data collection and management
- Oversight and involvement in decisions about access to their study data, if desired
- Maximise visibility, accessibility and long-term value of study data
For researchers
- Access rich linked and regularly updated datasets through a single route
- Analyse data securely within an approved TRE
- Benefit from expert data science and PPIE support
- Seamless collaboration across institutions
For the NHS
- Safer use of NHS data, with dissemination to one ISO 27001-certified environment (SAIL Databank) – not to individual cohort studies across many different environments
- Robust governance process for reuse of NHS linked data for patient benefit
- Tracking of what data are used, for what purpose, and its impact
- Less resource intensive
For funders
- Avoid duplication of infrastructure and effort
- Achieve economies of scale
- Maximise research value by increasing visibility, accessibility and long-term value of data from many clinical cohort studies
- Accelerate high-impact, high-quality research
- Embed robust governance, standards and best practice across research
Security at its heart
- Built within the ISO 27001 certified and UK Statistics Authority accredited SeRP/SAIL Databank, UK CliC operates under rigorous legal and regulatory framework, minimising risk giving researchers and the public confidence at every stage
- Data access follows the Five Safes Framework
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